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Nehme and coworkers tested out the effect of air versus oxygen on
myocardial injury in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).1 When
administered in the first 12 hours after STEMI oxygen was associated with
a dose-dependent increase in troponin and creatine kinase. In 2015 the
same group of investigators published a study in Circulation showing that
air instead of oxygen supplementation in STEMI led to improved outco...

Nehme and coworkers tested out the effect of air versus oxygen on
myocardial injury in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).1 When
administered in the first 12 hours after STEMI oxygen was associated with
a dose-dependent increase in troponin and creatine kinase. In 2015 the
same group of investigators published a study in Circulation showing that
air instead of oxygen supplementation in STEMI led to improved outcome.
The conclusions of these two studies seem to be that supplemental oxygen
therapy in patients with STEMI but without hypoxia may increase early
myocardial injury and is associated with larger myocardial infarct size
assessed at 6 months.
In 1980 we were the first to suggest that due to production of oxygen free
radicals air could be better than oxygen supplementation during
reoxygenation.2 During the next 30 years we performed a series of studies
demonstrating that air compared to 100% oxygen caused significantly less
oxidative stress and less myocardial and kidney injury, and resulted in
higher survival rates in newborn infants needing resuscitation at birth.
In animal studies we demonstrated that 100% oxygen induced injury or
inflammation of several organs as the brain and heart.3,4 We also have
worked intensively with the basic mechanisms explaining such findings.
Based on these and other studies international recommendations for newborn
resuscitation were changed in 2010 from starting with 100% oxygen to air.

We have always been surprised that colleagues in adult medicine
apparently have not been aware of these results. The mechanisms of
reoxygenation injury are probably similar in adults as in newborn. We are
therefore delighted that Nehme et al1 and Stub et al performed their
studies, although 30 years after we challenged the present oxygen dogma.

It is therefore with surprise we don't find any references in their
publications 1 to our basic experimental and clinical studies. Thirty
years of extensive research with internationally acknowledged
translational results have not been credited by the authors, reviewers as
well as the editors responsible for publishing these results.
We truly believe that now is the time when adult medicine should recognize
progress in neonatal medicine which has helped unravel pathophysiological
mechanisms that have improved the survival and quality of life of human
beings independently of their age.